The ability to telecommute has been widely used by companies to attract top talent. Unfortunately its productivity gains have begun to be questioned. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ conducted a time use survey last year to get the details on working from home. According to the survey, the number of Americans who worked from home dropped from 24% to 22% last year.
About 60% of US companies provide some telecommuting option. Data pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that about a quarter of the US workforce telecommutes at least part of the time and 80% to 90% of employees in the US say they would prefer to telecommute
Major Companies & Telecommuting
IBM found that its remote workers performed better when they were in the office with their colleagues. The company announced in February that about 2,600 people would be required to work in one of six designated US cities. Yahoo and Best Buy did the same back in 2013. Bank of America also joined the bandwagon of companies pulling workers back in. The argument? Work has become more team-based and a higher level of proximity is needed.
